University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  STRENGTH 


"MORMON" 
POSITION 


By 
ORSON    F.    WHITNEY 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE 
"MORMON"  POSITION 


By 
ELDER  ORSON  F.   WHITNEY 

Of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve,  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints. 


Press  of 

ZION'S   PRINTING   AND    PUBLISHING   CO. 
Independence,  Jackson  County,  Mo. 


Copyright  191? 
By  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Trustee  in  Trust 

for  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 


The  Strength  of  the  "Mormon" 
Position. 

By  ELDER  ORSON  F.  WHITNEY, 

Of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve,  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints. 


Upon  the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
there  stands  the  gilded  statue  of  an  Angel,  in  the  act  of 
sounding  a  trumpet,  symbolizing  the  restoration  and  procla- 
mation of  the  Everlasting  Gospel,  in  fulfillment  of  the 
Scripture  which  says: 

"And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven, 
having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  to  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue, 
and  people, 

„,  "Saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to 
Him;  for  the  hour  of  His  judgment  is  come." — Revelation 
14:6-7. 

Early  Christian  Annals. 

History,  tinged  with  tradition,  affirms  these -to  be  the 
circumstances  under  which  those  words  were  uttered:  The 
Saviour  had^chosen  Twelve  Apostles,  and  had  commissioned 
them  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature.  Obedient  to  the  divine  mandate,  they  had  gone 
forth,  and  within  fifty  years  had  lifted  the  Gospel  standard  in 
every  considerable  city  of  the  Roman  Empire,  which  then 
had  sway  over  the  known  world.  One  by  one  the  Apostles 
had  been  taken:  James  was  slain  with  the  sword  at  Jerusa- 


4  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

lem;  Peter  was  crucified,  and  Paul  beheaded,  at  Rome;  all 
had  suffered  martyrdom  for  the  word  of  God  and  the  testi- 
mony of  Jesus — all  save  one,  concerning  whom  Peter  had 
inquired:  "Lord,  what  shall  this  man  do?"  And  the  Saviour, 
answering,  had  said:  "If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what 
is  that  to  thee?"  (St.  John  21:21-22.) 

Modern  revelation  confirms  the  ancient  tradition  that 
John,  the  beloved  disciple,  did  not  die,  but  obtained  a 
promise  from  the  Lord  that  he  should  remain  upon  earth, 
not  subject  to  death,  and  bring  souls  to  Him.  He  was  to 
"prophecy  before  nations,  kindreds,  tongues  and  peoples", 
and  continue  till  the  Lord  came  in  His  glory.  (Doctrine 
and  Covenants,  Section  7.)  An  attempt  was  made  upon 
John's  life,  but  it  proved  ineffectual.  He  was  thrown  into 
a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil,  but  escaped  miraculously. 


John  on  Patmos. 

In  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  the  Christian  era,  this  man 
was  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  in  the  Aegean  Sea.  Patmos  was 
the  Roman  Siberia.  To  that  desolate  place  the  Empire 
banished  its  criminals,  compelling  them  to  work  in  the  mines. 
John  was  an  exile  for  the  Truth's  sake.  But  the  Lord  had 
not  forgotten  His  servant,  though  men  had  rejected  him  and 
cast  him  out.  The  Heavens  were  opened,  and  he  was  shown 
many  things  pertaining  to  the  future.  He  foresaw  the 
apostacy  of  the  Christian  world,  its  departure  from  "the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints",  the  "falling  away"  fore- 
told by  the  Apostle  Paul  (2  Thes.  2:3).  But  John  also 
looked  forward  to  a  time  when  that  faith  would  be  restored, 
and  when  the  hour  of  God's  judgment  would  come.  The 
dead,  small  and  great,  would  stand  before  the  Great  White 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET  5 

Throne,  and  be  "judged  out  of  the  things  written  in  the 
books",  every  man  according  to  his  works.  (Rev. 
20:11-13.) 

Joseph  Smith. 

To  the  Latter-day  Saints,  these  are  the  days  of  that  pre- 
dicted restoration,  and  Joseph  Smith  was  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed agent  for  bringing  back  the  Everlasting  Gospel. 
Who  was  this  Joseph  Smith?  He  was  a  farmer's  boy,  born 
among  the  mountains  of  Vermont,  December  23,  1805,  but 
living  with  his  parents  in  the  back-woods  of  western  New 
York,  when  his  career  as  a  prophet  began.  He  had  been 
much  exercised  upon  the  subject  of  his  soul's  salvation,  a 
religious  revival  having  recently  occurred  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. The  ministers  of  the  various  sects  united  in  calling 
upon  the  people  to  repent;  each  one  urging  them  to  join 
his  particular  congregation,  and  disputing  among  themselves 
upon  points  of  doctrine  and  authority.  The  situation  be- 
wildered the  boy,  who  was  an  honest  seeker  after  light, 
anxious  to  know  the  true  Church,  in  order  that  he  might 
join  it.  One  day  while  reading  the  Scriptures,  he  chanced 
upon  the  following  passage: 

"If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that 
giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall 
be  given  him."  (James  1:5.) 

Profoundly  impressed  by  these  sacred  words,  he  resolved 
to  test  the  promise  by  asking  from  God  the  wisdom  of  which 
he  stood  in  need.  With  that  object  in  view,  he  retired  to 
the  woods  near  his  father's  home,  and  knelt  in  prayer.  No 
sooner  had  he  begun  to  pray,  than  he  was  seized  upon  by 
a  power  which  filled  his  soul  with  horror  and  paralyzed  his 
tongue  so  that  he  could  no  longer  speak.  So  terrible  was 


6  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

the  visitation,  that  he  almost  gave  way  to  despair.  But  he 
continued  praying;  for  there  are  two  ways  of  offering  prayer 
—"orally  and  in  secret."  He  had  been  praying  orally,  but 
could  not  now  supplicate  in  that  manner,  being  unable  to 
move  his  lips.  Yet  he  continued  to  pray — with  "the  soul's 
sincere  desire";  and  just  at  the  moment  when  he  feared  that 
he  must  abandon  himself  to  destruction,  he  saw,  directly 
over  his  head,  a  light  more  brilliant  than  noonday.  In  the 
midst  of  a  pillar  of  glory  he  beheld  two  beings  in  human  form, 
One  of  whom,  pointing  to  the  Other,  said:  "This  is  my  be- 
loved Son,  hear  Him". 

As  soon  as  the  Light  appeared,  the  boy  found  himself 
delivered  from  the  fettering  power  of  the  Evil  One. 
When  he  could  again  command  utterance,  he  inquired  of  his 
glorious  visitants  which  of  all  the  religious  denominations 
was  right — which  one  was  the  true  Church  of  Christ?  To 
his  astonishment  he  was  told  that  none  of  them  was  right; 
that  they  had  all  gone  out  of  the  way,  and  were  teaching  for 
doctrine  the  commandments  of  men.  The  Lord  did  not 
recognize  any  of  them,  but  was  about  to  restore  the  Gospel 
and  the  Priesthood  and  establish  his  Church  once  more  in 
the  midst  of  mankind. 

This  was  Joseph  Smith's  first  vision  and  revelation.  It 
came  in  the  spring  of  1820,  when  he  was  a  few  months  over 
fourteen  years  of  age.  The  greater  part  of  this  wonderful 
manifestation  was  the  part  that  did  not  speak,  the  silent  re- 
vealing of  God  as  a  personage;  a  truth  plainly  taught  in 
the  Scriptures  (Gen.  1:26,  27;  Phil.  2:5-8;  Col.  1:13-15; 
Heb.  1:3),  but  ignored  or  denied  by  modern  Christianity. 

Three  years  later  the  youth  received  a  visitation  from  an 
Angel,  who  gave  his  name  as  Moroni,  the  same  who  is  repre- 
sented by  the  statue  on  the  Salt  Lake  Temple.  This  Angel 


THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON  7 

announced  himself  as  the  last  of  a  line  of  prophets  who  had 
ministered  to  an  ancient  people  called  Nephites,  a  branch  of 
the  house  of  Israel — not  the  Lost  Tribes,  as  is  often  as- 
serted, but  a  portion  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph.  They  had  crossed 
over  from  Jerusalem  about  the  year  600  B.  C.,  and,  with  a 
remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  which  joined  them  later, 
had  inhabited  the  Americas  down  to  about  the  beginning 
of  the  fourth  Christian  century.  At  that  time  the  civilized 
though  degenerate  nation  was  destroyed  by  a  savage  faction 
known  as  Lamanites,  ancestors  of  the  American  Indians. 

The  Book  of  Mormon. 

The  Angel  showed  to  Joseph  where  a  record  of  the 
Nephites  had  been  deposited,  and  subsequently  delivered 
it  into  his  hands,  with  interpreters,  Urim  and  Thummim, 
by  means  of  which  the  youth  translated  the  record  into 
English  and  gave  to  the  world  the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  was 
so  named  for  its  compiler,  the  Nephite  prophet  Mormon, 
whose  son  and  survivor,  Moroni,  had  buried  the  metallic 
plates  containing  it  in  a  hill,  where  they  were  found  Septem- 
ber 22nd,  1823.  The  Hill  Cumorah,  called  "Mormon  Hill" 
by  the  present  day  inhabitants  of  that  region,  is  between 
Palmyra  and  Manchester,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  For 
their  belief  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  Latter-day  Saints 
are  termed  "Mormons",  and  their  religion,  "Mormonism". 

This  Book  tells  how  the  Saviour,  after  his  resurrection, 
made  himself  known  to  the  Nephites — the  "other  sheep" 
referred  to  in  John  10:16 — and  organized  his  Church  among 
them,  after  the  pattern  of  his  Church  at  Jerusalem.  Choos- 
ing twelve  special  witnesses,  he  gave  to  three  of  them  the 
same  promise  that  he  had  given  to  the  Apostle  John — that 
they  should  remain  upon  earth,  superior  to  death,  and  bring 


8  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

souls  to  Him.  He  prophesied  concerning  America,  the  Land 
of  Zion,  the  place  for  the  New  Jerusalem,  a  holy  city  to  be 
built  by  a  gathering  of  scattered  Israel  prior  to  His  second 
coming.  The  Nephite  record,  containing  the  fulness  of  the 
Gospel  as  delivered  to  that  ancient  people,  is  a  history  of 
this  chosen  land  and  a  prophecy  of  its  future.  It  predicts 
the  great  work  introduced  by  the  Latter-day  Prophet,  a 
work  so  marvelous  in  some  of  its  phases  that  most  men 
reject  it,  deeming  it  a  fable. 

But  the  Christian  world,  with  the  Bible  in  its  hands, 
should  have  been  prepared  for  something  of  this  kind.  The 
Hebrew  seers  prophesied  concerning  it.  Isaiah  foretold  "a 
marvelous  work  and  a  wonder",  declaring  at  the  same  time 
that  the  wisdom  of  the  wise  should  perish,  and  the  under- 
standing of  the  prudent  be  hid;  meaning,  evidently,  that 
human  sagacity  and  worldly  knowledge  would  stand  con- 
founded before  it.  That  prophet,  speaking  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  gave  as  the  reason  for  such  an  innovation:  "This 
people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth,  and  with  their  lips 
do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart  far  from  me, 
and  their  fear  toward  me  is  taught  by  the  precept  of  men". 
(Isaiah  29:13,  14.)  A  brief  yet  comprehensive  description 
of  the  state  of  the  religious  world  at  the  time  of  the  advent  of 
"Mormonism". 

Divine  Authority. 

While  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  in  course  of  transla- 
tion, John  the  Baptist,  as  an  angel  from  God,  conferred  upon 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  scribe,  Oliver  Cowdery,  the  Aaronic 
Priesthood,  which  holds  the  keys  of  outward  ordinances 
and  ministers  in  temporal  things.  Subsequently  the  Mel- 
chizedek  Priesthood,  holding  the  keys  of  spiritual  mysteries, 


A  CATHOLIC  UTTERANCE  9 

and  including  the  Aaronic  as  the  greater  includes  the  less, 
was  conferred  upon  them  by  three  other  heavenly  messen- 
gers— the  Apostles  Peter,  James  and  John.  Thus  empower- 
ed, the  two  young  men,  with  four  associates,  organized,  on 
the  sixth  of  April,  1830,  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  This  event  took  place  at  Fayette,  Seneca 
County,  New  York. 

Thus  was  restored  the  Ancient  Faith,  with  the  powers 
of  the  Eternal  Priesthood,  the  delegated  divine  authority 
that  enables  men  to  act  as  God's  representatives,  and  with- 
out which  no  man  can  lawfully  administer  the  sacred  or- 
dinances of  the  Gospel.  "No  man  taketh  this  honor  unto 
himself,  but  he  that  is  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron".  (Heb. 
5:4.)  Thus  was  re-established  the  true  Church  of  Christ, 
and  the  prophetic  Ensign  lifted  for  the  gathering  of  scat- 
tered Israel  (Isaiah  11:12);  an  event  preparatory  to  the 
Saviour's  second  coming. 

A  Catholic  Utterance. 

Many  years  ago  a  learned  man,  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  came  to  Utah  and  spoke  from  the  stand  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle.  I  became  well  acquainted  with 
him,  and  we  conversed  freely  and  frankly.  A  great  scholar, 
with  perhaps  a  dozen  languages  at  his  tongue's  end,  he 
seemed  to  know  all  about  theology,  law,  literature,  science 
and  philosophy.  One  day  he  said  to  me:  "You  Mormons  are 
all  ignoramuses.  You  don't  even  know  the  strength  of  your 
own  position.  It  is  so  strong  that  there  is  only  one  other 
tenable  in  the  whole  Christian  world,  and  that  is  the  position 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  issue  is  between  Catholicism 
and  Mormonism.  If  we  are  right,  you  are  wrong;  if  you  are 
right,  we  are  wrtog;  atfd  thaVs  all  tJhfere  is  tb  it.  Ttte 


10  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

Protestants  haven't  a  leg  to  stand  on.  For  if  we  are  wrong, 
they  are  wrong  with  us,  since  they  were  a  part  of  us  and  went 
out  from  us;  while  if  we  are  right,  they  are  apostates  whom 
we  cut  off  long  ago.  If  we  have  the  apostolic  succession 
from  St.  Peter,  as  we  claim,  there  was  no  need  of  Joseph 
Smith  and  Mormonism;  but  if  we  have  not  that  succession, 
then  such  a  man  as  Joseph  Smith  was  necessary,  and  Mor- 
monism's  attitude  is  the  only  consistent  one.  It  is  either 
the  perpetuation  of  the  Gospel  from  ancient  times,  or  the 
restoration  of  the  Gospel  in  latter  days." 

My  reply  was  substantially  as  follows:  "I  agree  with 
you,  Doctor,  in  nearly  all  that  you  have  said.  But  don't 
deceive  yourself  with  the  notion  that  we  "Mormons"  are 
not  aware  of  the  strength  of  our  position.  We  are  better 
aware  of  it  than  anyone  else.  We  have  not  all  been  to  college ; 
we  cannot  all  speak  the  dead  languages;  we  may  be  'ig- 
noramuses', as  you  say;  but  we  know  that  we  are  right,  and 
we  know  that  you  are  wrong".  I  was  just  as  frank  with 
him  as  he  had  been  with  me. 

An  Episcopal  View. 

At  a  later  period  I  conversed  with  another  man  of  cul- 
ture, a  bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  affirmed  that 
if  Joseph  Smith,  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  Episcopalians,  he  would  have  been  content 
and  would  have  looked  no  further  for  spiritual  light.  "The 
trouble  is",  said  the  Bishop,  "Joseph  encountered  the 
Methodists,  the  Baptists,  the  Presbyterians  and  others, 
with  their  conflicting  creeds  and  claims.  These  failing  to 
satisfy  him,  he  sought  elsewhere.  Now  the  Episcopalians 
have  an  unbroken  succession  of  authority  all  down  the  centu- 
ries, and  if  Joseph  Smith  had  become  informed  as  to  them, 


THE  REAL  REASON  11 

he  would  never  have  taken   the  trouble    to  organize    an- 
other church." 

And  these  are  some  of  the  views  that  learned  men  take 
of  "Mormonism".  With  all  their  learning,  they  are  not  able 
to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  They  do  not  begin  to 
dream  of  the  greatness  of  God's  work,  the  grandeur  of 
Christ's  cause.  They  have  no  idea  of  the  real  strength  of  its 
position.  They  assume  that  Joseph  Smith  stumbled  upon 
something  of  which  he  did  not  know  the  true  value,  and  that 
it  was  sheer  luck  which  gave  to  "Mormonism"  its  vantage 
ground,  its  recognized  strength  of  position.  Never  was  there 
a  grosser  error.  There  are  concepts  as  much  higher  than 
these,  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth.  The  "Mor- 
mons" are  not  the  "ignoramuses"  when  it  comes  to  a  con- 
sideration of  the  Gospel's  mighty  themes. 

The  Real  Reason. 

Yet  it  is  not  because  of  human  "smartness" — not  be- 
cause the  followers  of  Joseph  Smith  are  brainier  than  other 
people,  that  they  have  a  greater  knowledge  of  God  and  are 
capable  of  loftier  ideals  in  religion.  It  is  because  they 
have  received,  through  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  per- 
ceptive power,  a  spiritual  illumination  which  the  world, 
with  all  its  culture,  does  not  possess,  and  without  which  no 
man  can  know  God  or  comprehend  His  purposes.  It  cannot 
be  had  from  books  and  schools.  Colleges  and  universities 
cannot  impart  it.  It  can  come  only  in  one  way — God's 
way,  not  man's.  The  Latter-day  Saints  have  it,  not  be- 
cause of  any  greater  natural  ability  than  other  men  and 
women  possess,  but  because  they  have  bowed  in  obedience 
to  the  divine  will,  thus  making  themselves  worthy  to  receive 
this  inestimable  boon.  All  mankind  may  have  it  upon 
precisely  the  same  conditions. 


12  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

Another  Objection. 

The  Episcopal  Bishop  whom  I  have  mentioned  re- 
marked to  me  on  another  occasion,  that  his  main  objection 
to  "Mormonism"  was  that  we  "Mormons"  were  not  inter- 
ested in  anything  going  on  outside  of  our  own  community. 
He  declared  that  we  gave  no  credit  to  other  peoples  or  to 
other  systems  for  the  good  they  were  accomplishing.  "For 
instance",  said  he,  "we  retranslate  the  Scriptures,  making 
them  more  plain,  more  intelligible,  with  a  view  to  enlighten- 
ing mankind  thereon ;  but  you  give  us  no  credit  for  that.  We 
uncover  ancient  cities,  buried  civilizations,  here  in  America 
and  elsewhere ;  we  decipher  old-time  inscriptions  on  obelisks, 
in  documents,  etc.,  seeking  to  acquaint  the  present  with  the 
past;  but  you  put  no  value  on  such  work.  We  found  hos- 
pitals and  infirmaries,  maintain  missions,  carry  the  name  of 
Christ  to  the  heathen,  publish  the  Bible  by  millions  of  copies, 
and  are  endeavoring  to  place  one  in  every  home.  But  you 
take  no  account  of  these  things ;  you  are  not  interested  in  our 
efforts;  you  think  them  all  vain  and  of  no  worth." 

Not  a  Narrow  Religion. 

The  remark  surprised  me.  I  was  astonished  that  any 
well  informed  person  could  entertain  such  an  opinion  re- 
specting us  and  our  religion.  There  may  be  such  a  thing  as 
a  narrow  "Mormon";  there  may  be  such  a  thing  as  a  narrow 
notion  in  the  mind  of  some  "Mormon";  but  there  never 
has  been  and  there  never  will  be  such  a  thing  as  a  narrow 
"Mormonism".  Far  from  ignoring  what  other  peoples 
and  other  systems  are  doing,  it  takes  account  of  everything, 
and  assigns  it  to  its  proper  place  in  the  universal  scheme. 
"If  there  is  anything  virtuous,  lovely,  or  of  good  report,  or 


WHAT  "MORMONISM"  STANDS  FOR  13 

praiseworthy,  we  seek  after  these  things."  So  says  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  in  one  of  its 
Articles  of  Faith. 

"Mormonism"  is  a  much  bigger  thing  than  Catholic 
scholars  or  Episcopal  bishops  imagine.  It  is  the  greatest 
system  of  philosophy  that  the  world  has  ever  known,  the 
grandest  poem  that  Divine  Genius  ever  created,  the 
mightiest  melody  ever  struck  from  the  vibrant  harps  of 
Eternity.  It  is  the  sublime  drama  of  all  the  ages,  and  the 
last  act  is  now  on,  the  final  scene  about  to  unfold. 

What  "Mormonism"  Stands  For. 

"Mormonism"  stands  for  the  restoration  of  the  Gospel 
in  this  dispensation;  but  that  is  not  all.  It  stands  for  the 
Gospel  itself  in  all  the  dispensations,  as  those  periods  are 
termed  during  which  God  has  spoken  to  man  and  dispensed 
from  heaven  these  saving  principles  and  powers.  This  is 
but  one  of  a  number  of  such  periods,  reaching  from  the  days 
of  Adam  down  to  the  present  time.  The  Gospel  preached 
by  the  ancient  Twelve  was  a  restored  Gospel,  just  as  much 
as  it  is  to-day.  It  had  been  upon  Earth  before  the  age  of  the 
Apostles.  "Christianity",  the  faith  of  the  once  despised 
"Christians",  is  now  "Mormonism",  the  religion  of  the  un- 
popular "Mormons".  What  matter  the  names  bestowed 
upon  it  by  men?  Truth  is  not  to  be  disposed  of  by  pelting 
it  with  epithets.  The  character  of  a  jewel  is  not  changed 
by  covering  it  with  rubbish  and  dirt.  A  diamond  is  a  dia- 
mond, whether  it  sparkle  in  the  dust  at  your  feet,  or  glitter 
in  the  diadem  of  a  queen. 

"Mormonism"  is  not  a  product  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century.  Joseph  Smith  did  not  originate  it,  nor  did  any 
other  man.  What  is  called  "Mormonism"  is  the  Everlasting 


14  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

Gospel,  the  religion  of  all  the  ages,  God's  great  plan  for  the 
salvation  of  the  human  family;  and  not  only  their  salvation, 
but  their  exaltation  if  they  obey  it  in  fulness.  The  Gospel 
has  a  threefold  power;  it  redeems,  saves,  and  glorifies.  Re- 
demption is  resurrection,  but  that  it  not  sufficient;  it  is  not 
enough  that  man  be  brought  forth  from  the  grave.  All  men, 
good  and  bad,  will  be  resurrected;  but  resurrection  is  not 
salvation,  any  more  than  salvation  is  exaltation.  Many 
redeemed  from  the  grave  will  be  condemned  at  the  final 
judgment,  for  evil  deeds  done  in  the  body;  and  many  will  be 
saved,  yet  come  short  of  the  glory  that  constitutes  exaltation. 
God's  greatest  gift,  eternal  life,  has  been  offered  to 
man  again  and  again,  in  a  series  of  dispensations  of  which 
this  is  the  greatest  and  the  last.  The  "winding  up  scene", 
the  final  act  of  the  play — such  is  the  dispensation  now 
opened,  wherein  will  be  brought  to  a  glorious  finale  the  whole 
of  God's  mighty  work  pertaining  to  this  planet;  a  work  begun 
at  the  very  dawn  of  creation,  and  continued  down  to  this 
day.  "That  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times  He 
might  gather  together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which 
are  in  heaven,  and  which  are  on  earth;  even  in  Him".  (Eph. 
1:10.) 

The  God  Story. 

What  is  generally  termed  "The  Gospel"  relates  to  "the 
laws  and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel".  (See  L.  D.  S.  Articles 
of  Faith.)  But  the  term  in  its  broadest  sense  means  far 
more.  The  English  word  "Gospel"  comes  from  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  "Godspell"  or  God-Story.  Hence  we  have  "the  four 
gospels"  — Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John— all  narratives 
of  the  Christ,  but  in  reality  only  parts  of  the  complete  God 
Story,  which  comprises  the  heavenly  as  well  as  the  earthly 


THE  PATH  TO  PERFECTION  15 

career  of  our  Redeemer.  Three  personages  compose  the 
Godhead — the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost;  and  it  was  the 
second  of  these  who  became  the  Saviour,  "The  Word"  who 
was  "made  flesh",  as  mentioned  by  St.  John.  (1:1-14.) 
The  Gospel  in  its  fulness  signifies  everything  connected  with 
Jesus  Christ,  past  or  present — the  Son's  entire  career,  from 
the  time  he  left  his  celestial  throne,  to  the  time  he  returned 
thither,  glorified  with  that  glory  which  he  had  with  the 
Father  before  the  world  was.  The  Son  is  one  with  the  Father 
—not  in  person,  but  in  power,  will,  wisdom  and  authority. 
He  is  God,  but  is  called  the  Son  of  God  because  he  came 
forth  from  the  Father  to  manifest  in  the  flesh  the  "fulness 
of  the  Godhead  bodily". 

The  Path  to  Perfection. 

The  Gospel  had  its  origin  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  God,  "finding  he  was  in  the  midst  of  spirits  and 
glory,  because  he  was  more  intelligent,  saw  proper  to  in- 
stitute laws  whereby  the  rest  could  have  a  privilege  to  ad- 
vance like  himself".  (Joseph  Smith,  "Times  and  Seasons," 
August  15,  1844.)  The  Gospel,  therefore,  is  not  a  mere 
fire-escape — a  way  out  of  a  perilous  situation.  It  is  a  divine 
plan  for  human  progress,  the  Path  to  Perfection,  and  was 
instituted  as  such  before  man  was  in  a  position  to  be  re- 
deemed or  saved,  before  any  such  exigency  had  arisen.  It 
was  established  before  Adam's  fall,  and  in  the  prospect  of 
that  fall,  which  was  a  step  in  the  onward  march  to  the 
eternal  goal.  "Adam  fell  that  men  might  be" — that  is, 
mortal  men;  for  by  the  fall  those  spirits  in  the  midst  of  which 
God  found  himself  were  to  secure  bodies  and  become  souls, 
capable  of  endless  increase  and  advancement.  Adam  did 
that  for  the  race;  he  gave  us  one  of  the  most  precious  boons 


16  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

that  man  can  possess — a  body,  without  which  the  spirit 
would  be  imperfect  and  could  not  be  exalted. 

But  Adam  could  do  no  more,  and  a  still  greater  boon 
had  to  be  given,  in  order  that  the  fall  might  be  effectual, 
and  the  Gospel  plan  be  made  operative  for  the  ends  in  view. 
The  machinery  was  ready,  but  the  Power  had  to  be  turned 
on.  The  fall  had  a  twofold  direction — downward,  yet  for- 
ward; and  though  designed  as  a  blessing,  there  was  a  penalty 
attached.  Death  came  into  the  world — spiritual  and  tem- 
poral death,  eternal  banishment  from  the  Divine  Presence; 
and  man's  progress  would  have  halted  then  and  there,  would 
have  utterly  and  permanently  ceased,  had  not  something 
been  done  to  lift  him  from  his  fallen  state,  and  open  the 
way  that  he  might  go  on  to  perfection.  Adam  gave  us  earth- 
ly life;  but  the  greater  boon — eternal  life — is  the  gift  of  the 
Redeemer  and  Saviour.  Descending  from  his  glorious 
throne,  he  became  mortal  for  man's  sake,  and  by  dying 
burst  the  bands  of  death,  thus  making  eternal  progression 
possible. 

Fall  and  Redemption. 

Adam's  transgression  was  malum  prohibitum,  or  wrong 
because  forbidden;  not  malum  in  se,  or  wrong  in  itself.  It 
had  a  beneficent  purpose,  but  it  put  the  world  in  pawn,  and 
Death  was  the  pawnbroker,  with  a  twofold  claim  upon  all 
creation.  Adam  could  not  redeem  himself,  and  the  human 
race,  which  sprang  from  him,  was  likewise  powerless.  No 
part  of  what  had  been  pledged  could  be  used  as  the  means  of 
redemption.  Something  not  subject  to  death  was  the  re- 
quired ransom.  The  life  of  a  God  was  the  price  of  the  world's 
freedom;  and  that  price  was  paid  by  the  sinless  One,  the 
Lamb  ' 'without  spot  or  blemish",  who  made  himself  a  re- 


THE  PRINCIPLE  OF  OBEDIENCE  17 

demptive  sacrifice,  to  mend  the  broken  law,  pay  the  debt 
to  justice,  repoise  the  unbalanced  scale,  and  restore  the 
equilibrium  of  right.  Christ,  the  World-Deliverer,  was  as  a 
greater  Moses,  leading  an  enslaved  universe  out  from  the 
Egypt  of  sin,  out  from  the  bondage  of  death. 

The  Principle  of  Obedience. 

In  return  for  this  mighty  deliverance,  and  in  order  to 
perfect  his  work — to  save  and  glorify  what  he  died  to  re- 
deem, our  Lord  requires  from  us  obedience,  the  great  fun- 
damental principle  upon  which  all  blessings  are  predicated, 
and  upon  which  alone  they  can  be  obtained.  (Doc.  and  Cov. 
130:20,  21.)  This  principle  redeemed  Adam  from  the  Fall. 
It  is  the  only  way  whereby  man  can  be  redeemed.  There  is 
but  one  path  to  God,  and  it  is  open  to  the  peasant  as  well 
as  to  the  king.  All  secure  salvation  upon  the  same  terms. 
There  is  no  royal  road  to  heaven — no  favoritism.  There  is 
nothing  so  absolutely  democratic  as  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Every  man  may  share  in  it,  but  he  must  help  to 
save  himself.  He  is  in  a  pit  and  must  come  up  out  of  it. 
A  ladder  has  been  provided  and  let  down  to  him,  and  he 
must  climb  that  ladder,  or  he  will  never  rise  above  his  fallen 
state,  never  re-enter  the  presence  of  God. 

Round  by  Round. 

The  first  round  of  salvation's  ladder  is  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ;  the  second,  repentance,  or  turning  away  from  sin; 
third,  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins;  and 
fourth,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands 
of  men  having  divine  authority.  But  there  are  other  rounds 
to  the  ladder,  other  principles  to  be  obeyed  by  those  who 
would  attain  the  fulness  of  God's  glory.  These  principles 


18  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

have  been  revealed  to  man  many  times.  But  there  is  a 
proneness  in  human  nature  to  depart  from  the  truth  and 
"turn  to  fables";  the  "natural  man"  being  "an  enemy  to 
God".  And  this  has  rendered  necessary  the  various  restora- 
tions of  the  Gospel. 

All  in  One. 

In  order  to  understand  "Mormonism"  aright,  one  must 
grasp  the  idea  of  a  series  of  Gospel  dispensations,  inter- 
related and  connected  like  the  links  of  a  mighty  chain,  ex- 
tending through  the  whole  course  of  time.  The  Dispensa- 
tion of  the  Fulness  of  Times  proposes  to  bring  together  and 
weld  into  one  the  broken  links  of  the  Gospel  chain.  This  was 
the  dominant  thought  in  the  mind  of  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  as  his  last  day  on  earth  drew  near.  He  expressed 
it  in  these  words: 

"It  is  necessary,  in  the  ushering  in  of  the  dispensation 
of  the  fulness  of  times,  *  *  *  that  a  whole  and  complete 
and  perfect  union  and  welding  together  of  dispensations, 
and  keys,  and  powers,  and  glories  should  take  place  and  be 
revealed  from  the  days  of  Adam  even  to  the  present  time; 
and  not  only  this,  but  things  which  never  have  been  re- 
vealed from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  have  been  kept 
hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  shall  be  revealed  unto  babes 
and  sucklings  in  this  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of 
times."  (Doc.  &  Cov.  128:18.) 

"Mormonism"  is  all-comprehensive.  It  claims  the 
past  and  lays  its  hand  upon  the  future.  The  past  is  necessary 
to  explain  the  present  and  the  future.  What  Is  cannot  be 
clearly  understood  without  some  knowledge  of  What  Has 
Been  and  What  Will  Be.  Accordingly,  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 


THE   MISSION  OF  ELIJAH  19 

manifesting  the  things  of  God,  "brings  things  past  to  re- 
membrance", and  "shows  things  to  come." 

The  Mission  of  Elijah. 

"Mormonism"  signifies  the  restitution  of  all  things. 
It  stands  for  law  and  order — a  place  for  everything,  and 
everything  in  its  place.  This  is  the  significance  of 
the  mission  of  Elijah — the  turning  of  the  hearts  of  the 
children  to  the  fathers,  lest  earth  be  cursed  and  smitten  at 
the  Saviour's  coming.  (Malachi  4:5,  6.)  Past  and  present 
are  related;  it  is  the  relationship  of  parent  and  child;  and 
they  must  be  joined,  in  order  that  perfection  may  reign. 
We  cannot  be  made  perfect  without  our  ancestors,  nor  can 
they  be  made  perfect  without  us.  Consequently  temples 
are  built  by  God's  people,  and  work  done  in  them — vicarious 
work,  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  departed.  Baptisms,  endow- 
ments, marriages  for  eternity,  in  person  or  by  proxy,  are 
prominent  features  of  this  sacred  labor.  Joseph  Smith  re- 
ceived the  keys  of  Elijah  (Doc.  &  Cov.  110:14-16),  and  min- 
istered for  the  sealing  of  the  present  to  the  past,  the  union 
of  the  living  and  the  dead.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the 
restitution  of  all  things. 

Many  Gospel  Dispensations. 

"Mormonism"  is  the  religion  that  saved  Adam.  Adam, 
therefore,  was  the  original  "Mormon."  His  religion  was  also 
that  of  Enoch,  of  Noah,  of  Abraham,  of  Moses  and  Aaron, 
and  of  the  Apostles  upon  both  hemispheres.  And  it  has 
come  back,  in  this  final  dispensation,  to  bring  together  all 
things  that  are  Christ's. 

In  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price,  one  of  the  four  doctrinal 
standards  with  the  Latter-day  Saints— the  other  three  being 


20  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

the  Bible,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants — we  are  informed  that  Adam,  after  his  fall,  was 
divinely  commanded  to  build  an  altar  and  offer  a  lamb 
thereon,  typical  of  the  Lamb  of  God  who  was  to  take  away 
the  sin  of  the  world.  Already  slain  theoretically  in  the  heav- 
ens, where  he  had  been  chosen  for  his  earthly  mission,  he 
was  yet  to  be  slain  literally  upon  this  planet;  and  Adam  was 
told  to  look  forward  to  that  sacrificial  event,  and  in  the  light 
of  it  to  practice  the  principles  of  salvation. 

"And  thus  the  Gospel  began  to  be  preached  from  the  be- 
ginning, being  declared  by  holy  angels,  sent  forth  from  the 
presence  of  God,  and  by  his  own  voice,  and  by  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  And  thus  all  things  were  confirmed  unto 
Adam  by  a  holy  ordinance,  and  the  gospel  preached,  and  a 
decree  sent  forth  that  it  should  be  in  the  world  until  the 
end  thereof.  And  thus  it  was,  Amen".  (Moses  5:58,  59.) 

Joseph  Smith  "saw  Adam  in  the  valley  of  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman".  (Doc.  &  Cov.  116.)  That  is,  he  beheld  him  in 
vision,  retrospectively.  Bowed  with  age,  the  great  Patriarch 
blessed  his  posterity,  foretelling  what  should  befall  them  to 
the  latest  generation.  It  was  the  mightiest  patriarchal 
blessing  ever  given.  Joseph  affirms  that  Adam  will  come 
again,  will  come  as  the  Ancient  of  Days,  and  call  his  children 
together  at  that  very  place,  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  and  hold 
a  council  to  prepare  them  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  Thus 
is  indicated  the  relationship  between  the  First  and  the  Final 
Dispensations.  Adam  presides  over  all  the  dispensations 
(Church  History,  Vol.  4,  pp.  207-209),  and  all  must  be 
bound  together  in  the  great  day  of  unity  and  restoration. 

In  Enoch's  day  the  Gospel  was  preached  with  such 
power  and  success,  that  his  City  became  sanctified  and  was 
translated  or  taken  into  Heaven:  a  symbol,  a  foreshadow- 


MANY  GOSPEL  DISPENSATIONS  21 

ing  of  the  greater  Zion  of  the  last  days,  which  is  to  prepare 
the  way  for  the  Lord's  glorious  advent.  As  part  of  the 
universal  restitution,  that  ancient  city  will  return;  Zion 
from  above  will  meet  and  blend  with  Zion  from  below,  and  a 
social  order  prevail  similar  to  that  which  characterized 
Enoch's  commonwealth,  concerning  which  it  is  written: 
"And  the  Lord  called  his  people  Zion,  because  they  were  of 
one  heart  and  one  mind,  and  dwelt  in  righteousness;  and 
there  was  no  poor  among  them".  (Moses  7:18.)  Such  a 
condition  must  again  be  realized  before  the  Lord  comes. 
"This  is  Zion — the  pure  in  heart";  "every  man  seeking  the 
interest  of  his  neighbor,  and  doing  all  things  with  an  eye 
single  to  the  glory  of  God".  (Doc.  &  Cov.  97:21;  82:19.) 

Next  we  reckon  with  the  dispensation  of  Noah.  He 
preached  the  Gospel  for  a  hundred  and  twenty  years,  but 
saved  only  eight  souls,  including  his  own.  All  the  rest  were 
swept  away  by  the  Deluge,  their  disembodied  spirits  being  shut 
up  in  the  prison  house  to  await  the  due  time  of  their  deliver- 
ance. (Moses  8:24.)  The  Saviour  said  regarding  that 
dispensation:  "As  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be".  (Matt.  24:37-39.)  In  the 
days  of  Noah  this  planet  was  baptized  with  water;  in  a 
day  to  come  it  will  be  baptized  with  cleansing  fire. 
Its  elements  will  melt  with  fervent  heat;  it  will  die 
and  be  resurrected,  or  converted  into  a  celestial  sphere, 
an  abode  of  the  righteous  forever.  Such  is  the  destiny  of 
Mother  Earth.  "Mormonism"  will  not  have  accomplished 
its  mission  until  it  has  made  of  earth  a  Heaven,  and  of  man  a 
God. 


22  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

The  House  of  Israel. 

Abraham  held  the  keys  of  a  dispensation,  and  Elias 
delivered  those  keys  to  Joseph  the  Prophet  (Doc.  &  Cov. 
110:12.)  Abraham  is  "the  father  of  the  faithful".  Through 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,' those  great  progenitors  of  the 
House  of  Israel,  the  world  has  been  sprinkled  with  believing 
blood,  and  spirits  answering  to  that  blood  have  been  sent 
through  their  lineage  to  minister  for  the  salvation  of  man- 
kind. This  is  the  reason — the  main  reason  why  Israel  was 
dispersed  among  the  nations,  and  why  he  still  suffers  per- 
secution. Through  that  chosen  seed  comes  salvation,  and 
it  comes  by  no  other  route.  It  is- the  lineage  of  the  one  and 
only'Saviour.  They  who  have  scattered  Israel,  and  trampl- 
ed him  in  the  dust,  are  dependent  upon  him  for  their  eternal 
welfare.  Christ  himself  is  the  model.  He  died  that  the 
human  race  might  live.  "Greater  love  than  this  hath  no 
man,  that  he  will  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends."  More 
than  man  is  he  who  lays  down  his  life  for  his  enemies.  The 
Son  of  God  died  not  only  for  his  friends,  but  for  his  foes,  that 
salvation  might  come  to  all.  In  a  lesser  degree  the  House  of 
Israel  has  been  martyred  for  a  similar  purpose—that  the 
whole  world  might  be  blessed. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  are  numbered  among  Abraham's 
descendants.  The  first  to  embrace  the  restored  Gospel  were 
called  out  from  the  nations  because  they  had  his  blood  in 
their  veins.  Joseph  Smith  lifted  the  Ensign  for  the  gathering 
of  scattered  Israel,  but  lived  only  long  enough  to  assemble  a 
portion  of  the  half  tribe  of  Ephraim,  to  which  he  belonged. 
The  work  that  he  commenced,  however,  will  go  on  until  all 
the  tribes  of  Israel  are  gathered  and  the  way  prepared 
before  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  God. 


Eph: 


"THE  SHOULDERS  OF  THE  PHILISTINES"  23 

'The  Shoulders  of  the  Philistines.'9 

Ephraim,  in  ancient  times,  "mixed  himself  among  the 
people".  (Hosea  7:8. )  Consequently  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
who  are  mostly  of  Ephraim,  also  have  "Gentile"  blood  in 
their  veins.  "Gentile"  is  not  a  term  of  reproach  with  us.  It 
springs  from  "gentilis",  meaning  "of  a  nation",  and  was 
used  anciently  to  designate  those  nations  that  were  not  of 
Israel.  Japheth,  son  of  Noah,  is  the  sire  of  the  "Gentile" 
race,  while  Abraham  and  his  seed  are  descended  from  Japh- 
eth's  brother  Shem.  We  "Mormons"  have  no  quarrel  with 
the  "Gentiles".  They  are  virtually  our  co-laborers  in  this 
great  work  of  preparation.  We  cannot  do  it  alone.  It  is  too 
vast,  too  arduous.  We  need  the  help  of  the  "Gentiles", 
their  wealth,  their  power,  their  wonderful  insight  into  and 
command  over  material  things,  their  intelligence  and  skill 
in  manipulating  temporalities.  We  need  their  means  of 
rapid  transit  and  communication.  We  could  not  gather 
God's  people  without  the  aid  of  the  "Gentiles".  "They 
shall  fly  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Philistines  toward  the 
West."  So  wrote  Isaiah  concerning  Israel,  with  prophetic 
eye  upon  this  very  period.  "The  shoulders  of  the  Philistines" 
are  the  ships  and  railroads  of  the  "Gentiles". 

Our  friends  on  the  outside— our  fellow  "Gentiles"  shall 
I  call  them? — have  not  always  understood  us,  nor  have  we 
always  understood  them.  There  has  been  much  bitterness 
.  and  estrangement  between  the  two  classes.  I  am  convinced 
that  if  the  "Gentiles"  knew  us  better,  and  we  more  fully 
realized  our  relationship  to  them,  all  would  feel  kinder  and 
more  charitable.  We  would  recognize  that  we  are  engaged 
in  the  same  great  cause — for  so  we  are,  in  a  general  way— 
and  that  we  have  no  right  to  hate  each  other,  no  right  to 


24  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

work  against  each  other— that  is,  when  in  the  line  of  our 
duty,  doing  what  God  has  given  us  to  do. 

The  "Gentiles"  have  not  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel,  nor 
the  powers  of  the  Priesthood;  they  are  not  the  oracles  of 
God,  nor  the  ministers  of  salvation.    These  are  prerogatives 
of  the  House  of  Israel.    But  the  children  of  Japheth  doubtless 
have  their  special  mission,  and  it  is  a  part  of  the  divine  plan 
for  human  progression.     This  is   God's  work,    and    he  is 
doing  it  in  his   own  way.     He  has  instruments  outside  as 
well  as  inside  the  Church.     Whether  men  know  it  or  not, 
they  are  working  out  the  ends  he  has  in  view.    He  may  not 
always  notify  them  of  their  appointment  to  serve  him,  nor 
does  he  ask  permission  to  use  them;  but  he  uses  them  just 
the  same.    We  are  here  not  only  to  act,  but  to  be  acted  upon. 
The  Lord  put  his  spirit  upon  Columbus  and  impelled  him 
across  the  great  waters  to  discover  the  Land  of  Zion.     He 
nerved  the  arm  and  fired  the  soul  of  Washington,  when  he 
and  his  ragged  regiments  were  fighting  for  freedom,  for  in- 
dependence, for  the  founding  of  a  government— though  they 
knew  it  not— under  which  God's  work  could  come  forth  and 
not  be  crushed  out  by  the  tyranny  of  man.     The  God  of 
Israel  was  with  those  "Gentiles",  the  founders  of  the  Amer- 
ican Republic,  who  were  probably  of  a  mixed  lineage,  having 
much  of  the  blood  of  Israel  in  their  veins.    And  He  is  with 
all  good  and  great  men  whose  hearts  are  set  to  do  right  and 
to  uplift  humanity.    He  is  with  them,  whether  they  recog- 
nize it  or  not.     Their  strength  is  a  part  of  his  omnipotence. 

Moses  and  the  Gathering. 

Moses,  who  led  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  held  the  keys  for  the 
gathering  of  God's  people;  and  those  keys  had  to  be  restored, 
that  there  might  be  a  greater  gathering,  of  which  the  Egyp- 


MOSES  AND  THE   GATHERING  25 

tian  exodus  was  typical.  Moses,  as  a  ministering  angel,  de- 
livered to  Joseph  Smith  the  keys  of  the  Gathering.  (Doc. 
&  Cov.  110:11.)  But  for  this,  the  children  of  Ephraim,  such 
as  are  now  Latter-day  Saints,  would  still  be  in  Babylon, 
many  of  them  in  distant  lands,  from  which  they  have  come 
like  sheep  at  the  call  of  the  Shepherd.  Moses  had  a  dis- 
pensation of  the  Gospel,  and  sought  to  sanctify  his  people 
that  they  might  look  upon  the  face  of  God,  as  he  had  done. 
But  they  were  not  prepared  for  it;  and  so  Moses  was  taken, 
with  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  and  the  fulness  of  the  Gos- 
pel (Doc.  &  Cov.  84:19-28),  and  Israel  was  left  for  fifteen 
centuries  under  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  and  the  Lesser  Law, 
which  Paul  likened  unto  a  schoolmaster,  to  bring  them  to 
Christ. 

^|ln  due  time  came  the  Saviour  and  the  Meridian  Dis- 
pensation. Twelve  Apostles  were  chosen  upon  the  Eastern 
Hemisphere,  and  Twelve  upon  the  Western,  and  sent  forth 
to  preach  the  Gospel  as  a  witness  before  the  end.  And  the 
end  came — the  end  decreed  at  that  time — the  downfall  of 
the  Jewish  commonwealth,  and  later  the  destruction  of  the 
Nephite  nation.  Those  terrible  calamities  were  typical  of 
one  more  terrible  still — the  downfall  of  all  wickedness,  the 
approaching  End  of  the  World. 

And  now,  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  two  thousand  years, 
the  Gospel  and  the  Priesthood  have  come  back  again.  Once 
more,  the  pure  word  of  God  is  going  forth,  this  time  as  the 
immediate  forerunner  of  the  decreed  Consummation. 

"Mormonism"  means  far  more  than  the  restoration  of 
the  Gospel  at  the  beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 
Such  a  definition,  such  a  presentation  of  the  subject  woul^be 
manifestly  imperfect.  Ignorant  indeed  would  be  that  "Mor- 
mon" who  confined  his  thinking  to  so  narrow  a  field.  "Mor- 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

monism"  is  not  a  mere  sect  among  sects,  one  more  broken 
off  fragment  of  a  degenerate  and  crumbling  Christianity. 
It  is  the  pure,  primitive  Christianity  restored — the  original 
faith,  the  root  of  all  religion;  and  it  was  not  accident,  but 
design,  that  gave  it  the  strength  of  its  position. 

Alma's  Aspiration. 

Let  me  now  quote  a  passage  from  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
the  words  of  the  Nephite  prophet  Alma,  who  lived  about 
seventy-five  years  before  the  birth  of  the  Saviour: 

"Oh,  that  I  were  an  angel,  and  could  have  the  wish  of 
mine  heart,  that  I  might  go  forth  and  speak  with  the  trump 
of  God,  with  a  voice  to  shake  the  earth,  and  cry  repentance 
unto  every  people; 

"Yea,  I  would  declare  unto  every  soul,  as  with  the  voice 
of  thunder,  repentance,  and  the  plan  of  redemption,  that 
they  should  repent  and  come  unto  our  God,  that  there  might 
not  be  more  sorrow  upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth. 

"But  behold,  I  am  a  man,  and  do  sin  in  my  wish;  for 
I  ought  to  be  content  with  the  things  which  the  Lord  hath 
allotted  unto  me. 

"I  ought  not  to  harrow  up  in  my  desires  the  firm  decree 
of  a  just  God,  for  I  know  that  he  granteth  unto  men  according 
to  their  desire,  whether  it  be  unto  death  or  unto  life;  yea, 
I  know  that  he  allotteth  unto  men  according  to  their  will, 
whether  they  be  unto  salvation  or  unto  destruction. 

"Yea,  and  I  know  that  good  and  evil  have  come  before 
all  men ;  or  he  that  knoweth  not  good  from  evil  is  blameless ; 
but  he  that  knoweth  good  and  evil,  to  him  it  is  given  according 
to  his  desires;  whether  he  desireth  good  or  evil,  life  or  death, 
joy  or  remorse  of  conscience. 

"Now  seeing  that  I  know  these  things,  why  should  I 


• 


ALMA'S  ASPIRATION  27 

desire  more  than  to  perform  the  work  to  which  I  have  been 
called? 

"Why  should  I  desire  that  I  was  an  angel,  that  I  could 
speak  unto  all  the  ends  of  the  earth? 

"For  behold,  the  Lord  doth  grant  unto  all  nations,  of 
their  own  nation  and  tongue,  to  teach  his  word;  yea,  in 
wisdom,  all  that  he  seeth  fit  that  they  should  have;  there- 
fore we  see  that  the  Lord  doth  counsel  in  wisdom,  according 
to  that  which  is  just  and  true. 

"I  kno\v  that  which  the  Lord  hath  commanded  me,  and 
I  glory  in  it;  I  do  not  glory  of  myself,  but  I  glory  in  that 
which  the  Lord  hath  commanded  me;  yea,  and  this  is  my 
glory,  that  perhaps  I  may  be  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
God,  to  bring  some  soul  to  repentance;  and  this  is  my  joy." 
(Alma  29:1-9.) 

Does  that  sound  as  if  "Mormonism"  took  no  cogni- 
zance of  what  is  going  on  in  the  outside  world?  How  can 
any  intelligent  reader  arise  from  a  study  of  the  "Mormon" 
religion,  honestly  convinced  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  are 
interested  in  nothing  beyond  the  bounds  of  their  own  system? 
That  one  passage  from  the  Book  of  Mormon  suffices  to 
refute  the  false  notion. 

"Of  Their  Own  Nation  and  Tongue." 

God's  truth  has  been  taught  all  down  the  ages  by  men 
bearing  the  Priesthood,  the  authority  to  represent  Deity. 
But  other  men,  not  bearing  that  authority,  wise  and  worthy 
teachers,  have  been  raised  up  in  various  nations  to  give 
them  that  measure  of  truth  which  they  were  able  to  receive. 
Hence,  such  men  as  Confucius,  the  Chinese  sage;  Zoroaster, 
the  Persian;  and  Gautama  of  the  Hindus;  men  not  wielding 
divine  authority,  not  empowered  to  present  the  Gospel, 


28  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

nor  to  officiate  in  its  ordinances;  but  nevertheless  endowed 
with  wisdom,  with  profundity  of  thought  and  learning,  to 
deliver,  each  to  his  own  people,  that  portion  of  truth  which 
the  all-wise  Dispenser  sees  fit  that  they  should  have;  people 
who,  if  given  a  fulness  of  the  truth,  might  trample  it  under 
foot  to  their  condemnation.  Therefore  they  "die  without 
law"  (Doc.  &  Cov.  76:72);  that  is,  without  the  higher  law, 
the  Gospel,  which,  however,  will  reach  after  them  in  a  future 
life. 

The  world's  poets  and  philosophers,  artists  and  musi- 
cians, scientists,  discoverers,  warriors  and  statesmen,  good 
and  great  characters  in  general — all  have  their  work  and 
mission  under  an  over-ruling  Providence.  If  some  of  God's 
children  are  not  worthy  of  the  fulness  of  Truth,  and  would 
not  make  a  wise  use  of  it  were  it  sent  to  them,  that  is  no 
reason  why  they  should  not  be  given  as  much  truth  as  they 
can  wisely  use? 

The  Case  of  Islam. 

Carlyle,  in  splendid  phrasing,  presents  this  view  most 
strikingly,  in  his  vivid  portrayal  of  the  coming  of  Mahomet 
to  the  Arabs,  who  were  thus  converted  from  idolatry,  the 
worship  of  "sticks  and  stones",  to  the  worship  of  one  god — 
Allah,  with  Mahomet  as  his  prophet: 

"To  the  Arab  Nation  it  was  as  a  birth  from  darkness  into 
light;  Arabia  first  became  alive  by  means  of  it.  A  poor 
shepherd  people,  roaming  unnoticed  in  its  deserts  since  the 
creation  of  the  world:  A  Hero-Prophet  was  sent  down  to 
them  with  a  word  they  could  believe:  see,  the  unnoticed 
becomes  world-notable,  the  small  has  grown  world  great; 
within  one  century  afterwards,  Arabia  is  at  Grenada  on 
this  hand,  at  Delhi  on  that; — glancing  in  valor  and  splendor 


PRESIDENT  SMITH'S  PRONOUNCEMENT  29 

and  the  light  of  genius,  Arabia  shines  through  long  ages  over 
a  great  section  of  the  world.  Belief  is  great,  life-giving.  The 
history  of  a  Nation  becomes  fruitful,  soul-elevating,  great, 
so  soon  as  it  believes.  These  Arabs,  the  man  Mahomet,  and 
that  one  century, — is  it  not  as  if  a  spark  had  fallen,  one  spark, 
on  a  world  of  what  seemed  black  unnoticeable  sand;  but  lo, 
the  sand  proves  explosive  powder,  blazes  heaven-high  from 
Delhi  to  Grenada!  I  said,  the  Great  Man  was  always  as 
lightning  out  of  Heaven;  the  rest  of  men  waited  for  him  like 
fuel,  and  then  they  too  would  flame." — Heroes  and  Hero 
Worship — Lecture  II,  p.  306. 

President  Smith's  Pronouncement. 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  until  recently  the  head  of 
God's  Church  on  earth,  touched  in  a  discourse  the  general 
theme  here  under  consideration.  Said  he: 

"Knowledge  is  increasing  throughout  the  world,  with 
reference  to  material  things;  and  all  this  knowledge  that  has 
been  restored  to  the  world  through  science  has  been  inspired 
of  God.  *  *  *  The  men  who  are  led  to  wonderful  discoveries 
are  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  understanding  that  cometh 
from  God,  that  giveth  them  light  and  knowledge.  *  *  *  So, 
•Latter-day  Saints  acknowledge  those  men  who  discovered 
how  to  control  the  lightning,  how  to  control  and  utilize  the 
power  of  steam  that  prevails  so  universally  among  men  to- 
day, and  all  those  who  have  discovered  all  the  other  secrets 
of  nature,  like  the  telegraph,  the  telephone,  and  all  other 
means  of  communication  by  which  the  voice  of  men  may  be 
conveyed  over  a  wire  and  now,  of  later  times,  through  the 
atmosphere  by  means  of  wireless  communication — all  these 
discoveries  are  by  the  promptings  of  the  Spirit  of  God  that 


30  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

giveth   to   the   mind   and   spirit   of   men   understanding." 
(Improvement  Era,  July,  1917). 

President  Smith,  however,  drew  a  distinction,  as  do  all 
orthodox  preachers  of  "Mor monism",  between  the  light  that 
illumines,  in  greater  or  less  degree,  every  soul  that  comes 
into  the  world,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  personage,  the  third 
in  the  Godhead.  He  also  differentiated  the  universal  divine 
spirit,  enjoyed  to  some  extent  by  all  men,  from  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  a  special  endowment  reserved  for  the 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

The  Poet's  Mission. 

An  American  poet,  Doctor  J.  G.  Holland,  has  this  to 
say  of  the  poet  and  his  mission:  "The  poets  of  the  world 
are  the  prophets  of  humanity.  They  forever  reach  after  and 
foresee  the  ultimate  good.  They  are  evermore  building  the 
Paradise  that  is  to  be,  painting  the  Millennium  that  is  to 
come.  When  the  world  shall  reach  the  poet's  ideal,  it  will 
arrive  at  perfection;  and  much  good  will  it  do  the  world  to 
measure  itself  by  this  ideal  and  struggle  to  lift  the  real  to 
its  lofty  level." 

In  the  light  of  such  a  noble  utterance,  how  paltry  the 
ordinary  concept  of  the  poet  as  a  mere  verse  builder.  His 
true  mission  is  to  lift  up  the  ideal  and  encourage  the  real 
to  advance  towards  it  and  eventually  attain  perfection.  The 
poet,  in  this  age  of  money  worship,  is  often  ridiculed  as  a 
"dreamer";  but  the  ridicule,  when  applied  to  a  genuine 
son  of  song,  is  pointless.  The  poet  is  a  dreamer;  but  so  is 
the  architect,  and  the  projector  of  railroads.  If  there  were 
no  dreamers,  there  would  be  no  builders;  if  there  were  no 
poets,  there  would  be  no  progress.  Poets  are  prophets  of  a 
lesser  degree,  and  the  prophets  are  the  mightiest  of  the  poets. 


THE  POET'S  MISSION  31 

They  hold  the  key  to  the  symbolism  of  the  universe,  and 
they  alone  are  qualified  to  interpret  it.  There  are  plenty  of 
rhymesters  who  are  neither  poets  nor  prophets,  and  there 
are  poets  and  prophets  who  never  build  a  verse,  nor  make  a 
rhyme. 

Rhyme  is  no  essential  element  of  poetry.  Versifica- 
tion is  an  art  employed  by  the  poet  to  make  his  thought 
more  attractive.  The  rhyme  helps  the  sentiment  to  reach 
the  heart.  A  musical  instrument,  say  a  piano  or  an  organ, 
is  painted  and  gilded,  not  to  improve  its  musical  powers, 
but  to  make  it  beautiful  to  the  eye,  while  its  music  appeals 
to  the  ear  and  charms  the  soul.  Rhyme  has  about  the  same 
relation  to  poetry  as  paint  or  gold  leaf  to  the  organ  or  piano, 
and  no  more. 

The  essence  of  poetry  is  in  its  idealism.  God  has  built 
his  universe  upon  symbols,  the  lesser  suggesting  and  leading 
up  to  the  greater;  and  the  poetic  faculty,  possessed  by  the 
prophet  in  fulness,  recognizes  and  interprets  it.  All  crea- 
tions testify  of  their  creator.  They  point  to  something  above 
and  beyond.  That  is  why  poetry  of  the  highest  order  is 
always  prophetic,  or  infinitely  suggestive;  and  that  is  why 
the  poet  is  a  prophet,  and  why  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
poetic  prose. 

A  thing  is  poetic  when  it  suggests  something  greater 
than  itself.  Man,  fashioned  in  the  divine  image,  suggests 
God,  and  is  therefore  "a  symbol  of  God",  as  Carlyle  affirms. 
But  Joseph  Smith  goes  further.  He  declares  God  to  be  "an 
exalted  Man/'  To  narrow  minds  this  is  blasphemy;  but  to 
the  broad-minded  it  is  poetry — poetry  of  the  sublimest  type. 

In  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  what  is  there 
of  sacred  efficacy  in  the  bread  and  water,  taken  alone? 
There  is  not  water  enough  in  the  ocean,  nor  bread  enough 


32  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

in  all  the  bakeries  of  the  world,  to  constitute  the  Lord's 
Supper.  All  that  makes  it  effective  as  a  sacrament  is  the 
blessing  pronounced  upon  it  by  the  priesthood,  and  the  symbol- 
ism whereby  those  elements  are  made  to  represent  something 
greater  than  themselves,  namely,  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Saviour.  What  is  done  then  becomes  a  holy  ordinance, 
full  of  force  and  effect,  a  poem  in  action. 

The  same  is  true  of  baptism.  Jesus  said:  "Except  a 
man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  Kingdom  of  God."  He  meant  baptism,  which  symbolizes 
birth  or  begetting.  The  priest  when  baptizing  performs  in 
a  mystical  or  spiritual  way  the  function  of  fatherhood. 
Motherhood  is  symbolized  by  the  baptismal  font.  "Chil- 
dren of  my  begetting,"  is  a  phrase  used  by  the  ancient  apos- 
tles to  characterize  their  converts,  who  are  also  referred  to 
as  "babes  in  Christ",  fed  upon  "the  milk  of  the  word". 
Paul  says,  concerning  baptism:  "We  are  buried  with  Him 
by  baptism  into  death:  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up 
from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also 
should  walk  in  newness  of  life".  (Romans  6 :4. )  This  shows 
that  baptism,  when  properly  administered,  is  a  symbol  of 
burial  and  resurrection — rebirth.  But  the  symbolism  must 
be  perfect  or  the  ordinance  is  void.  To  sprinkle  or  pour 
water  upon  the  candidate  for  baptism,  destroys  the  symbol- 
ism, or  the  poetry  of  the  ordinance.  It  does  not  represent 
a  birth — a  burial  and  a  resurrection.  When  the  body  is 
immersed,  however, — and  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  Greek 
term  to  baptize,— descent  into  the  grave  is  typified;  and 
when  the  body  is  brought  up  out  of  the  water,  birth  or  com- 
ing forth  from  the  grave  is  symbolized.  To  be  baptized  or 
resurrected  is  equivalent  to  being  "born  again".  The  soul, 


WHAT  OF  PHILOSOPHY?  33 

cleansed  from  sin,  is  typical  of  the  soul  raised  to  immor- 
tality. Such  is  the  poetry  of  baptism  and  the  resurrection. 
Jesus  Christ,  the  greatest  of  all  prophets,  was  likewise 
the  greatest  of  all  poets.  He  comprehended  the  universe 
and  its  symbolism  as  no  one  else  ever  did,  and  he  taught  in 
poetic  parables,  taking  simple  things  as  types,  and  teaching 
lessons  that  lead  the  mind  upward  and  onward  toward  the 
ideal,  toward  perfection.  We  must  not  despise  poetry;  it 
is  indispensable,  even  in  practical  affairs.  The  Gospel  of 
Christ  is  replete  with  poetry.  None  but  the  ignorant  pass 
it  by  as  a  thing  of  naught. 

What  of  Philosophy? 

Philosophy  is  "the  account  which  the  human  mind 
gives  to  itself  of  the  constitution  of  the  world".  So  says 
that  great  modern  philosopher,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 
Here  is  a  passage  from  Plato  the  Greek,  as  translated  by 
Emerson  the  American:  "Let  us  declare  the  cause  which 
led  the  Supreme  Ordainer  to  produce  and  compose  the  un- 
iverse. He  was  good ;  and  he  who  is  good  has  no  kind  of  envy. 
Exempt  from  envy,  he  wished  that  all  things  should  be  as 
much  as  possible  like  himself.  Whosoever,  taught  by  wise 
men,  shall  admit  this  as  the  prime  cause  of  the  origin  and 
foundation  of  the  world,  will  be  in  the  truth." — Repre- 
sentative Men,  Lecture  II. 

Very  similar  to  this,  is  that  utterance  of  Joseph  Smith's 
giving  the  origin  and  purpose  of  the  Gospel.  (See  paragraph 
"Path  to  Perfection";  also  "The  Book  of  Abraham"  3:22- 
26.)  But  Joseph  did  not  get  his  philosophy  from  Plato; 
he  had  it  directly  from  God,  the  source  of  Plato's  inspira- 
tion. There  is  no  plagiarism  in  this  semi-paralleling  of  a 
sublime  thought.  Confucius  taught,  in  a  negative  way,  the 


34  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

Golden  Rule,  afterwards  taught  affirmatively  and  more 
fully  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

"Truth  is  truth,  where'er  'tis  found, 
On  Christian  or  on  heathen  ground;" 

And  whether  uttered  by  an  ancient  sage  or  by  a  modern  seer, 
it  is  worthy  of  all  acceptance.  I  have  mentioned  Emerson. 
Here  is  a  sample  of  that  great  writer's  wisdom: 

"Our  strength  grows  out  of  our  weakness.  Not  until 
we  are  pricked  and  stung  and  sorely  shot  at,  awakens  the 
indignation  which  arms  itself  with  secret  forces.  A  great 
man  is  always  willing  to  be  little.  While  he  sits  on  the  cush- 
ion of  advantages  he  goes  to  sleep.  When  he  is  pushed,  tor- 
mented, defeated,  he  has  a  chance  to  learn  something;  he 
has  been  put  on  his  wits,  on  his  manhood;  he  has  gained 
facts;  learns  his  ignorance;  is  cured  of  the  insanity  of  con- 
ceit; has  got  moderation  and  real  skill.  Blame  is  safer  than 
praise.  I  hate  to  be  defended  in  a  newspaper.  As  long  as 
all  that  is  said  is  said  against  me,  I  feel  a  certain  assurance 
of  success,  but  as  soon  as  honeyed  words  of  praise  are  spoken 
for  me  I  feel  as  one  that  lies  unprotected  before  his  enemies. 
In  general,  every  evil  to  which  we  do  not  succumb,  is  a 
benefactor." 

"The  history  of  persecution  is  a  history  of  endeavors  to 
cheat  nature,  to  make  water  run  up  hill,  to  twist  a  rope  of 
sand.  The  martyr  cannot  be  dishonored.  Every  lash  in- 
flicted is  a  tongue  of  flame;  every  prison  a  more  illustrious 
abode;  every  burned  book  or  house  enlightens  the  world; 
every  suppressed  or  expunged  word  reverberates  through 
the  earth  from  side  to  side.  The  minds  of  men  are  at  last 
aroused;  reason  looks  out  and  justifies  her  own,  and  malice 
finds  all  her  work  vain.  It  is  the  whipper  who  is  whipped 
and  the  tyrant  who. is  undone,. 


WHAT  OF  PHILOSOPHY?  35 

"Such,  also,  is  the  natural  history  of  calamity.  The 
changes  which  break  up  at  short  intervals  the  prosperity  of 
men,  are  advertisements  of  a  nature  whose  law  is  growth. 
Evermore  it  is  the  order  of  nature  to  grow.  *  *  We  cannot 
part  with  our  friends.  We  cannot  let  our  angels  go.  WTe  do 
not  see  that  they  only  go  out,  that  archangels  may  come  in. 
We  are  idolaters  of  the  old.  *  *  We  do  not  believe  there 
is  any  force  in  to-day  to  rival  or  recreate  that  beautiful 
yesterday.  *  * 

"And  yet  the  compensations  of  calamity  are  made  ap- 
parent to  the  understanding  also,  after  long  intervals  of 
time.  A  fever,  a  mutilation,  a  cruel  disappointment,  a 
loss  of  wealth,  a  loss  of  friends  seems  at  the  moment  unpaid 
loss,  and  unpayable.  But  the  sure  years  reveal  the  deep 
remedial  force  that  underlies  all  facts.  The  death  of  a  dear 
friend,  wife,  brother,  lover,  which  seemed  nothing  but  pri- 
vation, somewhat  later  assumes  the  aspect  of  a  guide  or 
genius;  for  it  commonly  operates  revolutions  in  our  way  of 
life,  terminates  an  epoch  of  infancy  or  of  youth  which  was 
waiting  to  be  closed,  breaks  up  a  wonted  occupation,  or  a 
household,  or  style  of  living,  and  allows  the  formation  of 
new  ones  more  friendly  to  the  growth  of  character.  It  per- 
mits or  constrains  the  formation  of  new  acquaintances  and 
the  reception  of  new  influences  that  prove  of  the  first  im- 
portance to  the  next  years;  and  the  man  or  woman  who  would 
have  remained  a  sunny  garden  flower,  with  no  room  for  its 
roots  and  too  much  sunshine  for  its  head,  by  the  falling  of 
the  walls  and  the  neglect  of  the  gardener,  is  made  the  banyan 
of  the  forest,  yielding  shade  and  fruit  to  wide  neighborhoods 
of  men." — Essay  III,  Compensation. 

Poetry  and  philosophy  appeal  to  some,  when  the  Gos- 
pel in  its  fulness  might  offend;    "the  meat  of  the  word" 


36  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

being  too  strong  for  them.  The  plain  blunt  message  of  the 
man  of  God,  who  comes  proclaiming,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord/' 
antagonizes  many.  They  turn  from  it;  but  will  listen  to  the 
philosopher,  with  his  clear,  delightful  reasoning, 
or  to  the  poet,  with  his  apt  and  appealing 
illustrations.  All  kinds  of  teachers  go  before  the 
prophet,  preparing  his  way,  or  come  after  him,  confirming 
his  testimony.  And  the  sum  of  it  all  will  be  the  betterment 
and  eventual  salvation  of  the  race. 

The  Power  of  Music — Seeing  for  One's  Self. 

Music  softens  the  heart,  and  helps  men  and  women  to 
receive  the  Gospel.  Tourists  come  in  a  constant  stream, 
to  listen  to  the  wonderful  tones  of  the  great  organ  and  the 
singing  of  the  splendid  choir  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle. 
The  Gospel  is  not  always  preached  to  them;  they  do  not 
always  want  the  Gospel ;  but  they  are  mellowed  by  the  music, 
and  they  go  away  with  kinder  feelings  toward,  and  a  better 
understanding  of,  the  people  who  build  such  instruments,  who 
organize  such  choirs,  and  rear  such  structures.  Their  works 
speak  for  them.  Grapes  are  not  gathered  from  thorns,  nor 
figs  from  thistles.  Depraved  wretches,  such  as  the  "Mor- 
mons" are  falsely  represented  to  be,  do  not  love  music, 
poetry  and  philosophy,  do  not  cultivate  the  arts  and  sciences, 
do  not  turn  deserts  into  gardens,  nor  rear  Tabernacles  and 
Temples  unto  God. 

I  well  remember  when  President  Grant  came  to  Utah— 
the  first  President  of  the  United  States  to  set  foot  within  the 
Territory,  now  a  State.  It  was  at  a  time  when,  all  over  this 
broad  land,  the  bitterest  prejudice  prevailed  against  the 
Latter-day  Saints;  and  it  was  freely  asserted  that  the  man 
who  had  finished  with  the  South,  would  "make  short  work 


THE  POWER  OF  MUSIC— SEEING  FOR  ONE'S  SELF.  37 

of  Utah  and  the  Mormons."  Among  the  places  visited 
by  the  President  and  his  party  while  in  Salt  Lake  City,  was 
the  Tabernacle,  where  they  heard  the  great  organ.  I  do  not 
know  what  he  thought  of  it,  but  Mrs.  Grant,  her  face  stream- 
ing with  tears,  turned  to  Captain  Hooper,  who  had  been 
Utah's  delegate  in  Congress,  and  said  with  deep  feeling: 
"I  wish  I  could  do  something  for  these  good  Mormon  people." 
The  music  had  touched  her  heart,  and  perhaps  the  heart  of 
her  noble  husband;  for  General  Grant  was  noble,  though 
yielding  at  times  to  strong  prejudice. 

Before  reaching  the  Tabernacle,  he  had  passed  up  South 
Temple  Street,  lined  on  both  sides  with  Sunday  School  chil- 
dren, neatly  and  tastefully  attired,  waving  banners  and  mot- 
toes of  welcome  to  the  Nation's  Chief.  Riding  in  an  open 
carriage,  and  running  the  gauntlet  of  applause  and  cheers, 
the  honored  guest  turned  to  Governor  Emery,  who  sat  at 
his  side,  and  inquired  concerning  the  juvenile  host:  "What 
children  are  these?"  "Mormon  children,"  replied  Emery. 
Grant  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  was  then  heard  to  mur- 
mur, "I  have  been  deceived." 

But  he  never  was  deceived  again — not  in  the  same  way. 
He  could  trust  his  eyes  when  he  looked  upon  those  beautiful 
children:  they  were  not  the  product  of  crime  and  depravity, 
not  the  offspring  of  savages  and  criminals.  He  could  trust 
his  ears,  too,  when  he  heard  that  choir  and  organ.  No  one 
could  make  him  believe,  after  that,  that  the  "Mormons" 
were  as  black  as  they  had  been  painted. 

No  Substitute  for  the  Gospel. 

There  is  more  than  one  way  to  reach  the  human  heart, 
and  God  has  legitimate  use  for  everything  good,  wise,  vir- 
tuous and  praiseworthy.  Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however, 


38  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

that  music,  poetry,  painting,  sculpture,  philosophy,  science, 
or  anything  else,  can  take  the  place  of  the  Divine  Plan 
whereby  He  proposes  to  save  this  world,  as  He  has  saved 
millions  of  worlds  like  it.  He  will  use  everything  good  and 
true  and  beautiful  to  melt  the  hearts  of  his  children  and 
prepare  them  for  salvation;  but  salvation  itself  comes  only 
by  one  route — the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is 
the  Great  Ideal,  and  it  must  be  honored  as  such.  In  dealing 
with  it,  no  Procrustean  process  is  permissible.  It  must  not 
be  chopped  off  because  men  think  it  too  long,  nor  stretched 
out  because  they  deem  it  too  short.  God  did  not  send  his 
Truth  into  the  world  to  be  mutilated.  Men's  theories,  how- 
ever plausible,  cannot  supersede  divine  revelation.  The 
gifts  of  God,  however  precious,  are  no  standard  by  which  to 
judge  the  Giver.  The  Truth  as  Heaven  reveals  it  is  the 
Standard,  and  the  opinions  and  theories  of  men  must  give 
way.  There  is  no  substitute  for  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Propositions  to  be  Reconciled. 

Referring  now  to  a  passage  previously  quoted,  concern- 
ing the  days  of  Adam,  when  a  decree  went  forth  that  the 
Gospel  should  be  in  the  world  ''until  the  end  thereof".  I 
was  once  asked  to  reconcile  that  passage  with  the  idea  of 
a  new  dispensation,  the  question  coming  in  this  form:  "If 
the  Gospel  was  to  be  in  the  world  from  the  days  of  Adam 
'until  the  end',  what  was  the  need  of  restoring  it— bring- 
ing it  back  again?" 

There  are  two  ways  of  reconciling  these  propositions. 
They  do  not  really  contradict  each  other.  The  Gospel  has 
been  in  the  world  from  the  beginning  by  a  series  of  dispen- 
sations, reaching  through  the  entire  range  of  human  history. 
Our  finite  minds  are  prone  to  tangle  themselves  up  in  little 


A  TWOFOLD  CREATION  39 

details  that  cause  endless  quibbles  and  often  give  us  a  great 
deal  of  trouble;  but  God  sweeps  the  whole  universe  with  his 
infinite  gaze,  and  what  seem  mountains  to  men  are  less  than 
mole-hills  in  his  sight.  The  gaps  between  the  Gospel  dis- 
pensations are  not  so  wide  to  Deity  as  they  are  to  us.  The 
Lord  has  found  it  necessary  at  different  times  to  temporarily 
withdraw  the  Gospel  and  the  Priesthood  from  the  midst  of 
men ;  and  yet,  by  repeated  restorations,  forming  a  continuous 
chain  of  dispensations,  he  has  kept  them  in  the  world  from 
the  beginning  down  to  the  present,  thus  making  good  his 
ancient  decree. 

A  Twofold  Creation. 

But  there  is  more  to  this  argument.  God's  works  are 
two-fold,  firstly  spiritual,  secondly  temporal;  and  the  most 
important  part  of  creation  is  the  spiritual  part.  Man  and 
woman  were  made  first  as  spirits,  and  the  same  is  true  of 
earth  and  all  that  it  contains — beasts,  birds,  fishes,  trees, 
plants  and  flowers;  in  short,  all  created  things.  (Moses 
3:4-9.)  Given  bodies,  they  become  souls — not  all  human 
souls,  but  souls  nevertheless;  for  the  spirit  and  the  body 
constitute  the  soul.  It  is  the  soul  that  is  redeemed  and 
glorified.  The  spirit  alone  cannot  advance  that  far;  it  can 
live  without  the  body,  but  the  body  without  the  spirit  is 
dead.  Evidently,  therefore,  the  spirit  is  the  more  im- 
portant. What  wonder?  God  created  the  spirit;  but  when 
it  came  to  creating  the  body — bodies  in  general — He  dele- 
gated to  man  that  portion  of  His  work.  Man  can 
make  the  body  of  man,  and  can  destroy  it;  but  cannot  de- 
troy  the  spirit,  it  is  beyond  his  power. 

Now  the  planet  upon  which  we  dwell  has  a  spirit.    Hence 
there  is  a  Spirit  World;  and  there  the  Gospel  has  been  preach- 


40  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

ed  for  ages,  so  that  the  dead,  or  the  departed — for  they  are 
no  more  dead  than  we  are — might  have  opportunity  to 
embrace  it  and  be  "judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh". 
(I  Peter  4:6.)  And  the  withdrawal  of  the  Gospel  from  the 
temporal  world  would  not  necessarily  involve  its  withdrawal 
from  the  spiritual  world.  Thus  the  divine  decree,  that  the 
Gospel  should  be  in  the  world  "until  the  end  thereof",  re- 
ceives additional  vindication.  God's  word  cannot  fail. 

The  World  of  Spirits. 

"The  Spirit  World,"  says  Parley  P.  Pratt,  "is  not  the 
heaven  where  Jesus  Christ,  His  Father,  and  other  beings 
dwell,  who  have,  by  resurrection  or  translation,  ascended 
to  eternal  mansions  and  been  crowned  and  seated  on  thrones 
of  power;  but  it  is  an  intermediate  state,  a  probation,  a 
place  of  preparation,  improvement,  instruction,  or  educa- 
tion, where  spirits  are  chastened  or  improved,  and  where, 
if  found  worthy,  they  may  be  taught  a  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel.  In  short,  it  is  a  place  where  the  Gospel  is  preached, 
and  where  faith,  repentance,  hope  and  charity  may  be  ex- 
ercised, a  place  of  waiting  for  the  resurrection  or  redemption 
of  the  body;  while,  to  those  who  deserve  it,  it  is  a  place  of 
punishment,  a  purgatory  or  hell,  where  spirits  are  buffeted 
till  the  day  of  redemption.  As  to  its  location,  it  is  here  on 
the  very  planet  where  we  were  born".  (Key  to  Theology, 
Chapter  14.  Compare  Alma  40:11-14.) 

Joseph  Smith  tells  us  that  our  departed  friends  are 
very  near  to  us.  We  need  not  sail  off  into  space  to  be  in  the 
spirit  wrorld.  We  have  only  to  pass  out  of  the  body;  for  the 
;spirit  world  is  right  around  us.  Parley  continues: 

"The  earth  and  other  planets  of  a  like  order  have  their 
inward  or  spiritual  spheres,  as  well  as  their  outWatd  or  tern- 


THE  WORLD  OF  SPIRITS  41 

poral.  The  one  is  peopled  by  temporal  tabernacles,  and  the 
other  by  spirits.  In  this  spirit  world  there  are  all  the  varieties 
and  grades  of  intellectual  beings  which  exist  in  the  present 
world.  For  instance,  Jesus  Christ  and  the  thief  on  the  cross 
both  went  to  the  same  place,  and  found  themselves  asso- 
ciated in  the  spirit  world." 

Jesus,  it  will  be  borne  in  mind,  had  been  crucified  be- 
tween two  thieves,  one  of  whom  derided  him,  insulting  his 
dying  agonies.  The  other,  being  penitent,  prayed:  "Lord, 
remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom."  To 
him  the  Savior  said:  "To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in 
Paradise."  Because  of  this  utterance,  well  meaning  though 
uninspired  minds  have  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
penitent  thief  was  promised  immediate  heavenly  exaltation, 
for  repenting  at  the  last  moment  and  professing  faith  in  the 
Redeemer.  And  this  notion  is  still  entertained.  The  crim- 
inal who  has  forfeited  his  life  and  is  under  sentence  of  death 
because  unfit  to  dwell  among  his  fallen  fellow  creatures,  is 
made  to  believe  that  by  confessing  Christ  even  upon  the 
scaffold,  he  is  fitted  at  once  for  the  society  of  Gods  and 
Angels,  and  will  be  wafted  to  eternal  bliss.  Jesus  never 
taught  such  a  doctrine,  nor  did  any  authorized  servant  of 
God.  It  is  a  man-made  theory,  based  upon  faulty  inference 
and  misinterpretation.  The  Bible  plainly  teaches  that  men 
will  be  judged  according  to  their  works.  (Rev.  20:12-13.) 
It  was  best  for  the  thief,  of  course,  to  repent  even  at  the 
eleventh  hour;  but  he  could  not  be  exalted  until  prepared  for 
it,  if  it  took  a  thousand  years.  Jesus  Christ  and  the  thief 
both  went  to  the  world  of  spirits,  a  place  of  rest  for  the  right- 
eous, a  place  of  correction  for  the  wicked.  Parley  goes  on 
to  say : 

"But  the  One  was  there  in  all  the  intelligence,  happiness, 


42  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

benevolence  and  charity  which  characterized  a  teacher,  a 
messenger  anointed  to  preach  glad  tidings  to  the  meek,  to 
bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  comfort  those  who  mourned, 
to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captive,  and  open  the  prison 
to  those  who  were  bound;  or,  in  other  words,  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  that  they  might  be  judged 
according  to  men  in  the  flesh;  while  the  other  was  there  as 
a  thief,  who  had  expired  on  the  cross  for  crime,  and  who  was 
guilty,  ignorant,  uncultivated,  and  unprepared  for  resur- 
rection, having  need  of  remission  of  sins  and  to  be  instructed 
in  the  science  of  salvation. 

"In  the  world  of  spirits  there  are  Apostles,  Prophets, 
Elders,  and  members  of  the  Church  of  the  Saints,  holding 
keys  of  priesthood,  and  power  to  teach,  comfort,  instruct  and 
proclaim  the  Gospel  to  their  fellow  spirits,  after  the  pattern 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

"In  the  same  world  there  are  also  the  spirits  of  Catholics, 
and  Protestants  of  every  sect,  who  have  all  need  to  be  taught 
and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  true  unchangeable 
gospel  in  its  fulness  and  simplicity,  that  they  may  be  judged 
the  same  as  if  they  had  been  privileged  with  the  same  in  the 
flesh. 

"There  is  also  the  Jew,  the  Mahometan,  the  infidel,  who 
did  not  believe  in  Christ  while  in  the  flesh.  All  these  must  be 
taught,  must  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  crucified  and 
risen  Redeemer,  and  hear  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel. 

"There  are  also  all  the  varieties  of  the  heathen  spirits; 
the  noble  and  refined  philosopher,  poet,  patriot,  or  states- 
man of  Rome  or  Greece,  the  enlightened  Socrates  and  Plato, 
and  their  like,  together  with  every  grade  of  spirits,  down  to 
the  most  uncultivated  of  the  savage  world. 

"All  these  must  be  taught,  enlightened,  and  must  bow 


THE  WORLD  OF  SPIRITS  43 

the  knee  to  the  eternal  King,  for  the  decree  hath  gone  forth, 
that  unto  Him  every  knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue 
confess. 

•'Oh,  what  a  field  of  labor,  of  benevolence,  of  missionary 
enterprise  now  opens  to  the  apostles  and  elders  of  the  Church 
of  the  Saints!  As  this  field  opens  they  will  begin  to  realize 
more  fully  the  extent  of  their  divine  mission,  and  the  meaning 
of  the  great  command  to  'preach  the  gospel  to  every  creat- 
ure'." 

Parley  P.  Pratt,-  a  modern  Apostle,  was  a  friend  and 
follower  of  Joseph  Smith.  He  sat  at  the  feet  of  Joseph,  as 
Paul  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel.  These  are  Joseph's  doctrines, 
the  doctrines  of  "Mormonism",  which  stands  for  the  Gospel 
in  all  the  ages,  and  for  the  salvation  of  the  living  and  the  dead. 
God  will  judge  no  man  for  an  opportunity  that  he  never  pos- 
sessed. Faith  and  repentance  are  just  as  possible  and  just 
as  effectual  in  the  spirit  world  as  they  are  in  this  sphere.  But 
the  ordinance  of  baptism — immersion  in  water  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins,  and  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost — with  other  sacred  ceremonies,  must  be  done 
here,  in  places  dedicated  for  the  purpose.  This  vicarious 
work  is  absolutely  essential,  in  order  that  the  departed  may 
be  duly  admitted  into  the  Church  of  Christ  and  share  in  all 
its  blessings. 

The  Hell  of  Dante. 

In  the  Thirteenth  Century  a  great  Italian  poet,  the  im- 
mortal Dante,  produced  a  wonderful  work,  "La  Divina  Com- 
edia"  ("The  Divine  Comedy").  In  one  part  of  the  poem, 
the  author  represents  himself  as  passing  through  Hades  or 
Hell.  In  the  first  circle  of  the  infernal  depths— a  region 
called  "Limbo,"  which  a  footnote  in  my  copy  of  the  poem 


44  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

describes  as  a  place  "containing  the  souls  of  unbaptized 
children  and  of  those  virtuous  men  and  women  who  lived 
before  the  birth  of  our  Saviour" — he  meets  some  of  the  noble 
characters  whom  the  Apostle  Parley  mentions  as  inhabiting 
the  Spirit  World,  and  the  guide  says  to  him: 

— "Inquirest  thou  not  what  spirits 
Are  these,  which  thou  beholdest?    Ere  thou  pass 
Farther,  I  would  thou  know,  that  these  of  sin 
Were  blameless;  and  if  aught  they  merited, 
It  profits  not,  since  baptism  was  not  theirs, 
The  portal  to  thy  faith.    If  they  before 
The  Gospel  lived,  they  served  not  God  aright; 
And  among  such  am  I.    For  these  defects 
And  for  no  other  evil,  we  are  lost; 
Only  so  far  afflicted,  that  we  live 
Desiring  without  hope." — Hell,  Canto  IV,  Lines  29-39. 

And  this  was  all  that  Thirteenth  Century  theology 
could  say  for  such  men  as  Homer,  Virgil,  Plato,  Aristotle 
and  others,  the  best  and  brightest  spirits  of  their  times! 

According  to  Their  Works. 

Was  it  not  imperative  that  the  Heavens  should  again 
open  and  God's  Word  go  forth  once  more  upon  its  mission 
of  justice  and  mercy?  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  consistent  and 
reasonable.  It  does  not  pre-judge  men,  nor  save  nor  damn 
them  regardless  of  merit  or  demerit.  Rewarding  all  accord- 
ing to  their  works,  it  gives  to  every  creature,  living  or  dead, 
a  chance  to  accept  or  reject  it,  before  final  judgment.  Is 
it  not  evident  that  Joseph  Smith  and  "Mormonism"  were 
indeed  a  necessity  at  the  dawn  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, 
when  even  the  Christian  world  had  lost  the  knowledge  of 
the  true  God,  proclaiming  him  either  a  nonenity  incapable 


SONS  OF  PERDITION  45 

of    act    or    utterance,    or    a     monster     unmerciful     and 
unjust? 

Sons  of  Perdition. 

God  is  not  trying  to  damn  the  world,  but  to  save  it. 
All  will  be  saved  except  "the  sons  of  perdition",  those  who 
have  had  every  opportunity  to  be  saved — yes,  saved  and 
exalted.  They  who  have  known  God,  and  have  "tasted 
of  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come",  and  then  have  thrown  it 
all  away,  trampling  upon  the  Truth  as  a  thing  of  naught, 
denying  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  "crucifying  the  Lord  afresh";— 
these  cannot  be  saved,  for  salvation  is  predicated  upon  re- 
pentance, and  such  have  sinned  away  the  power  to  repent. 
This  is  what  makes  their  case  hopeless.  But  comparatively 
few  go  that  far.  All  the  rest  will  be  saved,  and  eventually 
glorified. 

Different  Degrees  of  Glory. 

There  are  different  degrees  of  glory — a  glory  of  the  sun, 
a  glory  of  the  moon,  and  a  glory  of  the  stars.  So  Paul 
taught  (I  Cor.  15:40-42);  and  Joseph  Smith  taught  it  even 
more  plainly.  (Doc.  &  Cov.  76.)  They  who  inherit  celes- 
tial glory,  of  which  the  sun  in  the  firmament  is  typical,  are 
they  who  receive  the  Gospel  in  this  life,  and  are  valiant  for 
for  it  and  endure  to  the  end,  giving  to  God  the  fulness  of 
their  obedience.  They  who  inherit  terrestrial  glory,  which 
differs  from  the  celestial  as  the  moon  differs  from  the  sun, 
are  they  who  receive  not  the  Gospel  here,  but  afterwards 
receive  it;  souls  not  valiant,  and  who  therefore  "win  not  the 
crown".  The  inheritors  of  telestial  glory,  typified  by  the 
stars,  "are  they  who  are  thrust  down  to  hell",  where  they 
pay  their  debt  to  Justice,  after  which  Mercy  claims  its 


46  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON"  POSITION 

own,  and  they  are  ushered  into  a  light  and  freedom  greater 
than  the  finite  mind  can  comprehend. 

Such  is  "Mormonism's"  astounding  declaration — the 
only  religion  on  earth  that  dares  to  say  THE  DAMNED 
CAN  BE  SAVED!  Yes,  anyone  can  be  saved  who  will 
repent,  even  in  the  depths  of  hell.  But  why  go  there  to 
repent?  Why  not  make  Peace  with  Heaven  here? 

A  Nautical  Illustration. 

I  was  crossing  the  Atlantic  on  an  ocean  liner.  I  was  a  first 
cabin  passenger;  and  besides  myself  there  were  upwards  of 
a  hundred  others  in  that  part  of  the  vessel.  The  second 
cabin  had  about  twice  as  many  passengers,  and  in  the  steer- 
age were  several  hundred  more.  The  first  cabin  berths  were 
not  only  the  best  furnished,  but  the  most  favorably  situated 
for  comfort,  convenience,  and  safety.  Every  courtesy  was 
shown  to  the  passengers;  the  captain  and  other  officers  were 
their  associates;  their  food  was  of  the  choicest,  and  they 
had  the  full  freedom  of  the  ship.  They  might  go  down  into 
the  second  cabin,  or  lower  dowrn,  into  the  steerage,  and  re- 
turn, without  hindrance  or  question.  They  had  paid  for 
these  privileges  and  were  therefore  entitled  to  them.  But 
it  was  different  in  the  second  cabin.  There  the.  food  was  not 
so  good,  the  berths  were  less  comfortable,  and  the  privi- 
leges fewer.  Passengers  might  descend  into  the  steerage, 
but  were  not  permitted  upon  the  upper  deck.  In  the  steer- 
age, conditions  were  even  less  favorable.  The  food  was  still 
poorer,  and  the  restrictions  were  more  rigid.  The  occupants 
of  that  section  were  not  allowed  even  in  the  second  cabin. 
Having  paid  only  for  steerage  accommodations,  these  were 
all  that  they  could  consistently  claim.  Viewing  the  situa- 
tion, I  said  to  myself:  What  a  striking  analogy  to  the  final 


MORMONISM'S  MAGNANIMITY  47 

destiny  of  the  human  race,  as  set  forth  in  the  revelations  of 
God!  All  men  rewarded  according  to  their  works— saved 
according  to  their  merits,  in  the  eternal  mansions  of  the 
Father!  And  I  resolved  anew  that  I  would  be  a  first  cabin 
passenger  over  the  ocean  of  life  into  the  haven  of  Celestial 
glory. 

Mormonism's  Magnanimity. 

Joseph  the  Seer,  after  gazing  upon  the  glories  of  eternity, 
outlining  the  ultimate  destiny  of  the  human  race,  had  an- 
other vision  in  which  he  "beheld  that  all  children  who  die 
before  they  arrive  at  the  years  of  accountability,  are  saved 
in  the  '  Celestial  Kingdom".  He  also  saw  his  father,  his 
mother,  and  his  brother  Alvin  in  that  Kingdom.  His  parents 
had  received  the  Gospel;  but  Alvin  died  before  it  came.  He 
was  a  good  man,  however,  and  had  faith  in  what  the  Prophet 
told  him.  He  simply  had  not  been  baptized.  Neverthe- 
less, Joseph  beheld  him  in  celestial  glory,  the  highest  glory 
of  all,  and  it  caused  him  to  marvel.  Then  fell  this  word  from 
Heaven: 

"All  those  who  have  died  without  a  knowledge  of  this 
Gospel,  who  would  have  received  it  if  they  had  been  permitted 
to  tarry,  shall  be  heirs  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom  of  God;  also 
all  that  shall  die  henceforth  without  a  knowledge  of  it,  who 
would  have  received  it  with  all  their  hearts,  shall  be  heirs  of 
that  Kingdom,  for  I,  the  Lord,  will  judge  all  men  according 
to  their  works,  according  to  the  desire  of  their  hearts." 
(Joseph  Smith's  Teachings,  p.  19;  Church  History,  Vol.  2, 
pp.  380-381). 

Could  justice,  mercy,  magnanimity,  go  further?  And 
yet  there  are  people  who  imagine  "Mor monism"  to  be  some- 
thing small,  narrow  and  illiberal.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 


48  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  "MORMON*'  POSITION 

broad,     generous     and     charitable,    as    all    its    teachings 
testify. 

The  Source  of  Its  Strength. 

"Mormonism's"  strength  is  not  in  the  number  of  its 
adherents,  who  are  comparatively  few;  nor  in  the  sagacity 
of  its  leading  men,  who  are  only  mortals.  Rather  does  it 
reside  in  the  fact  that  every  worthy  man  and  woman 
connected  with  it  is  entitled  to  and  receives  a  personal, 
direct  testimony  of  its  truth.  The  Church  of  Christ  is 
founded  upon  this  rock — the  Rock  of  Revelation — against 
which  the  waves  of  sophistry,  the  billows  of  bigotry,  the 
breakers  of  persecution,  beat  and  dash  in  vain.  All  who 
fight  the  truth  are  foredoomed  to  defeat.  The  Gates  of 
Hell  cannot  prevail  against  it.  "Mormonism"  is  strong 
because  God  is  its  Author — the  Engineer  directing  its 
course;  and  all  the  might  of  Omnipotence  is  behind  it, 
impelling  it  on  to  its  destiny.  It  is  the  Everlasting 
Gospel,  the  saving,  glorifying  power  of  God,  the  power  by 
which  He  carries  on  His  mighty  and  marvelous  work, 
bringing  to  pass  the  immortality  and  eternal  life  of  man. 


Published  by  the  Missions  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
in  the  United  States 

BUREAU  OF  INFORMATION— Temple  Block,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
CALIFORNIA  MISSION— 153  W.  Adams  St.,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
CANADIAN  MISSION— 36  Ferndale  Avenue,  Toronto,  Ontario.  Canada. 
CENTRAL  STATES  MISSION— 302  S.  Pleasant  St.,  Independence,  Mo. 
EASTERN  STATES  MISSION— 273  Gates  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
HAWAIIAN  MISSION— P.  O.  Box  3228,  Honolulu,  Hawaii. 
MEXICAN  MISSION— 3531  Fort  Blvd.,  El  Paso,  Texas,  U.  S.  A. 
NORTHERN  STATES  MISSION— 2555  N.  Sawyer  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 
NORTHWESTERN  STATES  MISSION— 810  E.  Madison,  Portland,  Ore. 
SOUTHERN  STATES  MISSION— 350  Woodward  Ave.,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
WESTERN  STATES  MISSION— 538  East  7th  Ave.,  Denver,  Colo. 

Press  of  Zion's  Printing  and  Publishing  Company 
Independence,  Jackson  County,  Missouri. 


